Dao Quang Thuc, a retired teacher, was arrested on October 5 on charges of subversion. He was arrested for peaceful participation in protests and online posts on the environment and territorial disputes with China. Thuc, 60, is currently being held in the provincial police’s detention facility. He has participated in a number of peaceful activities aimed at protesting China’s encroachment of the Vietnam’s sovereignty in the East Sea (South China Sea), protecting the environment, and challenging corruption. He has posted his opinions on these issues on social networks including Facebook.

Hoa Binh Detention Center

Activists being held at this prison:

A revised and expanded penal code took effect January 1, 2018 (known as the “Amended 2015 Penal Code”). While the previous provisions criminalizing political expression remained unchanged, they were renumbered. For instance, Article 79 (attempting to overthrow the government), Article 88 (anti-state propaganda), and Article 258 (abusing democratic rights) were renumbered as Article 109, Article 117, and Article 331, respectively.

For consistency with past media coverage, our database records the Article(s) that the prisoner was charged with (i.e., based on the version of the penal code applicable at the time of the sentencing).